Anna Words

My Identity

In my family, we are all close. I think that has impacted the person I am today. We share similar habits when it comes to food, exercise and sleep. Each of those is especially important to my parents and to my family!

We share favorite meals (Mexican and Indian!) and eat healthy at home. I do not really like soft drinks and I think this is because they are rarely found in our fridge. Ever since I can remember, my family has been active. When we lived in Switzerland, we would ski every weekend in the winters, and hike in the summers. Now, whether we are on vacation or it is just a quiet weekend, my sister and I will go against my Mom and Dad in a tennis game, surf all morning, play 2 on 1 basketball with my Dad or go for long walks with my Mom. Sleep has always been an important thing in my family too. I guess this is because we are so active and enjoy doing so many things.

Along with the things I do, my family has impacted the way I act. For example, another important aspect of our family, which I believe has rubbed off on me, is respect. I respect my parents and they respect the person I am, too. Our family atmosphere is very open and we always try to have dinner together. At the dinner table, we talk about our day or tell stories we heard. There are usually abundant jokes and a lot of laughing. I truly love dinnertime at my house. I would definitely say that the things my parents say, the advice they give me and the ideas they share with me are constantly impacting my identity. I am not saying that my family is superior to others, but I do think that we are a “happy family” and that “happy family” has shaped my identity.

As far as my own goals are concerned and how much of them are based on my parents’ own values, I think it is simple. My parents have always told me to do my best. They have always told me not be afraid to try new things. They have always told me that its okay to get it wrong the first time, and they have always told me that they will love me no matter what. The fact that I have this knowledge, the knowledge that I can explore and try new things and that my parents support me is really important when it comes to making goals for myself.

I like to do many different activities and my family has always encouraged me. Recently, the school has been mentioning to me that I take part in too many things and I need to cut back. For example, I was excited to go to four APAC conferences last year, and although it was pushing the schools’ previous ideas of what was too much, my parents knew that I truly enjoy everything that I chose to do and so they told me once again to do my best, and encouraged me the whole way.  These activities closely relate to my main goal in life which is to not only take part in things, but to make a difference in what I do. In terms of being a part of a sports team, my goal is to play a key role in the team dynamics and work hard. I want to connect with people and have an impact. When it comes to other extracurricular activities, whatever I do, I want to do it well! The same goes for my academic life, I want to be successful. That means not only to get good grades, but also, to go beyond what is expected because this is the foundation to lead an interesting life. 

The same thing goes for long-term goals in life. My parents make it clear to me that the reason why they push me to reach my self-actualization is because they want me to have the liberty to do whatever I want to later in life. They feel it is important to have options and not be held back by things that can be controlled. To put it simply: my parents influence my values, and ultimately, I make my goals.